Podcast

Life Lessons from Escape the Room: The Game

Something that you may know about my from this post on Fall Date ideas or this post on living an ‘Insta-ready’ life, is that I love Escape the Room games. Something you may not know about me is my love for board games! I play them every month and have received more than I can count as gifts over the years. So when I heard about Spinmaster’s Escape Room: The Game, I was beyond excited to get my hands on it!

Players have 60 minutes to work together, find hidden clues and to solve puzzles to escape from one of the four included rooms: Prison Break, The Virus, Nuclear Countdown, and Temple of the Aztec.

The Chrono Decoder is the central piece of all the games. It’s not only your clock, but it’s also how you unlock the next level of each game, and it provides you with the perfect background music to get you in the mood. You can download their app for additional eerie background music to really get into the experience.

Basically, each game has three parts. You begin by reading the story line on part one’s envelope, then start the clock on the Chrono Decoder. You and your teammates (yes all players are on the same team), then open the first envelope and find the clues/room for the game. You must use logic and attention to detail to find the correct four keys to put into the decoder and unlock part two. The key here is to communicate and write everything down! Then you open part two’s clues/room and once again use your brain and ingenuity to solve the puzzles and figure out which four keys to put into the decoder and open the final pack.

The game says 3-6 players but we also played with two and had fun! We did finish the first two “Easier” levels with two players, but the second one we only had one second to spare! The last two we went over the one-hour time limit with only two players.

Ok now that you know what the game is all about, let’s get into Life Lessons from Escape the Room: The Game

Effective communication is key

Escape the room games put everyone on the same team and you all need to work together to solve the puzzles in time. Your opponent is the clock, not each other. You need to communication the thoughts, clues, and strategies you’re using/finding to your teammates in order to move ahead quicker. If you are working on one puzzle, then communication that to your team and ask them to work on another. Sometimes they spotted the missing clue or piece you need. Writing things down and talking aloud allows you all to bounce ideas off one another or get creative. If you don’t communicate effectively, you could be neglecting some serious information.

How to work well under pressure

You only have one hour to escape the room, and you will be shocked at how much you can solve and strategize in one hour! Especially when the nerves start kicking in at the ten-minute mark. Taking deep breaths, communicating while under pressure, and moving forward is key to breaking free. Plus these skills are transferable to everyday life and work.

Humility

I’ll be honest: I am a sore winner. If you’re like me overly competitive and find yourself often taking the lead on a project or game, then this game will definitely teach you humility. Chances are, if you broke the clock, it wasn’t solely because you rocked, it’s because your teammates realized something or solved something too. You will realize the importance of people in moving forward.

Problem-solving like a champ

Seriously, I am still shocked at some of the problems we solved while playing this game! You will be shocked at how quickly your brain can link clues or think outside of the box to find answers that will move you forward.

I love how this game pushes you to use different parts of your mind and challenge different parts of your personality to win. Seriously, the skills and tools used while playing this game have some real world application that no doubt will help you at work and with people in your life.

I had no idea how the experience would translate to a board game and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I honestly think the board game is my favorite version of the game. My communication skills were better, I was a stronger team player, and it was all from the comfort of home!

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I'm Rachel, the founder of #TCMillennial, and am a multi-passionate millennial who loves bringing others together. This lifestyle blog is a combination of my favorite things: life advice, career & business tips, product reviews, and so much more! Aside from operating this blog full time, I am also a contributing writer for Forbes and business coach to bloggers and creative entrepreneurs. Check out the services page for more info!

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About Me

Hi there! I'm Rachel, the founder of #TCMillennial. I am a multi-passionate millennial who loves helping others embrace who they truly are while figuring out this whole "adult" thing. On the blog, you'll find all things #adulting like: real talk, tips for professional development, and so much more! If you want to write a guest post or request a topic, get in touch!